Remnants of the MOJAVE DESERT | Ghost Towns of Searchlight, NV & Nipton, CA

Across the Mojave Desert dot numerous remains of ghost towns, both forgotten and still alive. Today our adventure examines what life was like and the remnants of an industry that put these towns on the map and what remains of them today.

Legend says that Searchlight got its name in May of 1897 when prospector George Frederick Colton stated it was going to take a searchlight to find gold ore out in the desert. Not long thereafter, Colton found the gold he was looking for and began the Duplex Mine. Word spread quickly and many people flooded into the area. Searchlight quickly became a boom town and to really put it in perspective at the time it had a larger population than nearby Las Vegas. After 1917 the great boom was already coming to an end and by the 1920s the population almost dwindled away to nothing. There was a small resurgence in the 1930s and 1940s due to the excitement at nearby Hoover Dam but by the early 1950s, the remaining mining operations closed shop. Fast forward to the day and there's a population likely south of 500 people.

The origin of Nipton was a small mining camp located at the crossroads of two wagon trails. It sits at the northeastern edge of the Mojave National Preserve and feels like a tiny oasis against the backdrop of the vast Mojave Desert. Nipton really came to be when a railroad eventually passed through here in 1905. Back then they called it Nippeno Camp. Then in 1910 when the previous railroads merged with the Union Pacific Railroad, the name of the town changed to Nipton. In its heyday, Nipton served as a cattle loading station for nearby ranches in the area. It also serviced prospectors and miners who worked mines out in nearby areas, serving as sort of a supply and social nub for an otherwise sparsely populated and isolated community of desert dwellers. Today the highlight of the town is arguably the 1910 five-room adobe hotel.

VIDEO FILMED: 11/26-11/27/2022

▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
⚪ Exploring the Historic Desert Ghost Town of RHYOLITE | Nevada -    • Exploring the Historic Desert Ghost T...  
⚪ ORGAN MOUNTAIN DESERT PEAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT | Boyd Sanatorium & Van Patten Camp | New Mexico -    • ORGAN MOUNTAIN DESERT PEAKS NATIONAL ...  
⚪ Abandoned BORIANA MINE | Our First OFF-ROAD Adventure! | Hualapai Mountains, Arizona -    • Abandoned BORIANA MINE | Our First OF...  
⚪ Tour of JOSHUA TREE National Park's Many Things to See | California -    • Tour of JOSHUA TREE National Park's M...  
⚪ Following the Footsteps of GRAM PARSONS in Joshua Tree National Park | Californi -    • Following the Footsteps of GRAM PARSO...  
⚪ How to Find (and Not Find) the HALL OF HORRORS | Joshua Tree National Park, California -    • How to Find (and Not Find) the HALL O...  

▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Searchlight, Nevada
15:45 Walking Box Ranch
20:18 Nipton, California
26:46 Chloride, Arizona

▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
⚪ Gear we use - https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecactus...
⚪ See where we've been - https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mi...
⚪ Music from Epidemic Sound - https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.

Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!